The National Health System (SNS) Quality Agency has published a “Report on the Quality Plan for the National Health System. Overview of Activities and Actions Programmed”

The program of activities established by the Spanish Presidency of the European Union includes the organisation of the Fifth International Conference on Patient Safety, to be held in Madrid on the 3rd and 4th of June 2010. The objective of the conference is to present international and national experiences in the prevention of infections associated with healthcare (IRAS) and antimicrobial resistance (RAM). Full details on the program for the Conference can be obtained from the Patient Safety website

The Quality Agency of the Ministry of Health and Social Policy has implemented a search engine for best practices in reproductive health where healthcare professionals and teams can share successful experiences in this field

The SNS Quality Agency has disseminated an electronic version of the publication “Palliative Care Unit: Standards and Recommendations”. The objective of this guide, which is not a regulatory text, is to place at the service of government administrations, -public or private managers-  and professionals in the healthcare environment, criteria which will enable them to improve the conditions of safety, quality and provision of services in units of this kind. This publication can also be accessed, together with other related documents, through the website of the Ministry of Health and Social Policy and in the section on standards and recommendations. The information available on these websites will be updated on a regular basis with new publications and documents of possible interest

El próximo mes Barcelona y Palma van a ser escenario de una exposición itinerante para información a la población sobre los síntomas de un ictus, cómo reaccionar rápidamente ante ellos y sobre los factores de riesgo vascular más frecuentes así como la forma de controlarlos. En la carta adjunta os explicamos los detalles y os invitamos a visitarla en cualquiera de las dos ciudades, por si pudiera interesar repetirla es vuestras respectivas Comunidades Autónomas.

The meeting “Learning from the Implementation of Country-Wide Strategies to Reduce Central Line Blood Stream Infections: The Spanish, England & Australian Experiences” took place in Geneva on 11 February 2010, in order to share experiences in the start-up and implementation of  programs for the prevention of bacteraemia associated with central venous catheters

The Quality Agency has published the report, “ The Citizens’ Perspective on Patient Safety”, prepared by the Andalusian School of Public Health for the Quality Agency. This report sums up the actions undertaken by the Citizens Network of Instructors in Patient Safety (associations of patients, consumers and users patient ombudsmen in a number of Autonomous Communities) between 2007 and 2009 in the framework of the Public Health Strategy in the National Health System (SNS)

The Quality Agency has published the report “Establishment of a National System of Reporting and Recording of Adverse Incidents and Events in the Healthcare Sector: Legal Aspects” drawn up by the University of Deusto for the Agency. This study analyses the feasibility of the implementation of a National System of Reporting and Recording of Adverse Incidents and Events in the Healthcare Sector in light of the legal context existing in Spain at the present time

The Conference on Cardiovascular Disease was held in Madrid on the 18th and 19th of February. At the conference, the impact of the cardiovascular diseases in Europe was examined. A number of policies were put forward in order to reduce the prevalence of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease, which are common to other non-transmittable diseases, such as cancer, diabetes or chronic obstructive respiratory disease. The Government has established the prevention of smoking and an improvement in eating habits as priority objectives.
Following this, group discussions were held on issues identified as in need of additional knowledge for achieving improvement: inequalities (social, economic and gender); information systems and the screening of risk factors.
Finally, a review was made of a number of European policies representing examples of best practices in the prevention and care of cardiovascular diseases, including Spain’s policy

Cardiovascular disease in women. A study into the current situation in Spain. Revista Española de Cardiología. 2008;8(Supl. D)

The Ministry of Health and Social Policy, through the Quality Agency of the National Health System, has launched a new electronic bulletin on health issues designed for citizens (patients and users). This new bulletin, i-Salud, with a knowledge-dissemination focus, offers independent healthcare information, based on scientific evidence, for the purpose of informing and helping citizens in the process of making decisions on their health

The Steering Committee of  “Project Seneca: Care Quality Standards for Patient Safety in SNS Hospitals” met at the Ministry of Health and Social Policy on the 26th of January and the 24th of February, for the purpose of debating all of the data and analyses of the variables, indicators and standards of the care safety model, based on the criteria of the EFQM model proposed in the project and of issuing a final Executive Report during the next quarter

Following its presentation during the plenary session of the National Health System’s Inter-Territorial Board, the document prepared by the Health Information Institute: indicators-summary on Surgical and Outpatient Clinic Waiting List at 30 June 2009 is now available

The Health Information Institute has updated the Catalogue of Primary Care Centres as of 31 December 2009. Microdata can now be downloaded from the Data Bank

The reports on Non-Hospital Emergency Care 2009 prepared by the Health Information Institute, with reference to Organisation and Teams, have been updated

[+ highlights]

The Manzanares Hospital creates a Clinical Risks Unit (El día de Ciudad Real, 22 February 2010)

Family Doctors analyse how to minimise adverse effects in treatments, 80% of which “can be avoided” (20minutos.es, 22 February 2010)

Primary Care in the National Health System is good or very good for the majority of Spanish citizens (Ministry of Health and Social Policy. Press Office, 10 February 2010)

The Ministry of Health allocates 20 million euros to the Autonomous Communities for the care of patients with multiple chronic conditions (Ministry of Health and Social Policy. Press Office, 10 February 2010)

Healthcare professionals will receive standardised training with respect to gender violence (Ministry of Health and Social Policy. Press Office, 10 February 2010)

The assessment of the Diabetes Strategy reveals the risk factors of this disease (Ministry of Health and Social Policy. Press Office, 10 February 2010)

The new Patient Safety Plan in the Community of Madrid gives impetus to healthcare quality (Diariomadrid.ue, 9 February 2010)

All of the measures associated with obesity increase the risk of ischemic stroke (Neurología, 4 February 2010)

Trinidad Jiménez addresses the European Parliament putting forward the priorities of the Spanish Presidency of the EU on Health (Moncloa.es, Press Releases, 26 January 2010)

A natural form of vitamin E protects the brain following a stroke (Neurología, 22 January 2010)

Alcohol consumption and stroke (Neurología, 18 January 2010)

[+ news]

• Course: Gender in EU-funded research –Health and Science in Society, organised by the European Projects Office of the Carlos III Health Institute (National Health School, Madrid, 15 June 2010). Course will be given in English without translation. No registration fee required. Registration. Programme. More information